Larry Raspberry

Memphis is definitely a city chock filled with great, spirited artists, and in the 1970s, the neighborhood heroes to beat were Larry Raspberry & the Highsteppers. After departing his post as innovator/lead vocalist/guitarist of his unique music group the Gentrys (of “Continue Dancing” popularity), Raspberry proceeded to go solo for some time, later developing the Highsteppers along with his wife Carol Ferrante, herself an area celebrity being a previous Miss Tennessee entrance in the Miss America pageant. Once a top-notch tempo section, two-piece horn section, and Greg “Fingertips” Taylor on harmonica had been set up, the Highsteppers had been blessed. Raspberry (among rock and roll & roll’s accurate and few hands-on superstars) proved helpful the group incessantly, reservation them into every place large and little that would keep these things. Although several bandmembers grumbled about a number of the dives they might occasionally function, the grueling (and frequently low-paying) road timetable produced the required outcomes, and by enough time presents from bigger locations came their method, they were prepared. On-stage, Larry Raspberry was a genuine dynamo, heading back and forth between cool lead electric guitar and Jerry Lee Lewis-style piano pounding, even while functioning the crowd as an evangelist filled with spiritualistic fervor, his on-stage patter intensely inspired by his youth hero, Memphis disk jockey Dewey Phillips. Fueled with great music and an action spit-and-polished to contend with anything that emerged against them, the Highsteppers quickly became Memphis’ most well-known music group from the ’70s. The music group was agreed upon to Organization, a department of Stax Information, and started focus on their debut record, Highsteppin’ and Luxury Dancin,’ with Raspberry functioning the dials with Memphis making star Don Nix. The record flawlessly captured the band’s handled but uncooked, rockin’ spirit, nonetheless it died available on the market as the group got the star-crossed good fortune to be among the 1st white acts authorized to Stax just like the label was going to proceed bankrupt. Raspberry bought back again his experts at a courtroom personal bankruptcy hearing and got a second recording (In the Red) from his personal label prior to the unique group proceeded to go their separate methods. Raspberry continued to do different acting projects (he performed Dewey Phillips in it movie THAT IS Elvis and made an appearance in the cult traditional I HAD BEEN a Zombie for the F.B.We.), re-forming the Highsteppers with assorted employees for isolated times through the ’80s or more for this period. Still quite energetic in music like a songwriter (Carly Simon’s “Sick and tired of Becoming Blonde,” the Everly Brothers’ “Constantly Drive a Cadillac,” Jimmy Buffett’s “Dixie Diner,” and Carl Perkins’ “Let’s Obtain Annoyed” all emanate from his pencil) and bandleader, Larry Raspberry continues to be an American music treasure.